My immediate reaction to the auction process as it now exists in the art and antiques industry is one of “where the action is”. This is all possible by Christie’s and Sotheby’s (and it all starts there) ability to manipulate the market mechanisms with a calculated corporate finesse. My deep seeded disdain for the auction method now firmly established, finds its roots in the mid 1970’s when the “Great Satan”, the buyer’s premium, was instituted by them.  The rules of the game were indelibly changed.  If you need any proof, I would ask you if the industry’s dealers as a whole increased their sales by 36% over the last year.…

As I have started my blog with a discussion on the NY Winter Antiques Show, I thought it might be a good place to analyze what is necessary to improve the show concept and expose some of their failings.   When one thinks of antiques shows, they range from the upscale presentations of a Maastricht international show to the local weekly flea market held on a Sunday afternoon in a rural parking lot.  In both cases, the dealers are motivated to sell objects directly to purchasers looking to buy for any number of reasons, either as a collector, to decorate, or just for the fun of finding a bargain and…

What I saw this afternoon, strolling down the aisles of the Winter Antiques Show in New York, kind of sums up what is endemic with the antiques trade, and by its virtue, so contrasting to the auction environment. I am dealer, a third generation dealer.  I’ve also never participated in an antiques show but have attended many since I first started working at Newel in the summer of 1969.  The antiques trade was a totally different world back then.  I don’t want to get too sentimental or wish for the good old days (they weren’t too bad as a matter of fact), but if today’s world measures the prestige and…

As I introduce myself to the creation of a Newel blog, I have one goal in mind and that is to create a forum for questioning and commenting on the antiques trade.  As my industry has and is going through massive changes since I first started in the business, I feel that I have the opportunity to probe and question its practices and standards.  I don’t claim to be an authority on how one should run a business, but I will comment on the environment within which the antiques trade operates.  I would expect to be controversial in my opinions and perspective and openly solicit comments as to what is right or…